The Book Of ROMANS.....A Systematic Teaching

[Major]

Romans 13:14..........
"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."
Oh my goodness.......how many believers are making every provision for the flesh but are making no provision to stand before God.

"Put On" = What we wear!

Simply said...........Paul just told us to cast off the works of darkness. Instead, now he says that we will symbolically wear Jesus.

In other words, our goal as Jesus-followers is to live as Jesus would live. That would include all of Paul's commands and instructions in Romans 12 and 13. The opposite of this happens when we arrange our lives to satisfy our flesh.

When Paul uses the word "flesh," he means more than just sexual immorality. He means all the human appetites we experience to feel good, to get what we want, and to be treated well.

It's not wrong to want any of those things, per se, but those cravings become sinful when we serve them above all others and are willing to harm others to gratify them. Instead, as Jesus did, we must put others first and trust God to provide for us in all other ways.

I beg you to PUT ON Christ first in your life and to get out the Word of God. You do that and NO ONE wil ever ask you if you are a Christian.

 

[crossnote]

The 1st 5 Commandments were between Man and God. The next 5 were between Man and Man. Those 2nd 5 are the ones Paul used in verse #9. He is talking about how love conquers all things and those 5 actions he listed destroy mans relationship with his neighbors.

This Is like trying to pin Jello to a wall.
If I ask about the law being for the Gentiles, I'm answered with the two tables of the law (towards God and towards man), and when I inquire about the indivisibility of the law, I'm answered with 'the law is not for the Church'. Nevermind, I guess.
Isn't all sin, towards God, whether against people or God Himself?

 

[Major]

This Is like trying to pin Jello to a wall.
If I ask about the law being for the Gentiles, I'm answered with the two tables of the law (towards God and towards man), and when I inquire about the indivisibility of the law, I'm answered with 'the law is not for the Church'. Nevermind, I guess.
Isn't all sin, towards God, whether against people or God Himself?

I know full well that you know the Law was given only to Israel. I did not say that there were two tables of Law. I said that the 1st 5 defined mans relationship to God and the 2nd 5 mans relationship to man.

In Romans 13 8 to the end of that chapter, Paul is concerned with mans relationship to his neighbor....his fellow man.
Is that not exactly what I said Commands 6- 10 pertained to????

Now then......as we both know, the law or the Commandments were not given to the church as I was trying to answer your question of "Indivisibility". Yes.........All sin is sin. Break one and you break them all. All sin is ultimately against God.

You asked why Paul quoted the last 5 and not the 1st 5. I DO NOT KNOW. It seems to me, the sins Paul listed are sins that harm another person immediately! I gave you what I thought. What do you think?

Would you agree that the cause of the world’s problems is that man needs to be reconciled to God.
Would you also agree that we will never love our neighbor as ourselves if we do not first love God with all our heart, mind, and soul.

All of man’s best efforts toward world peace will fail as long as men are living in rebellion against God.

 

[Major]

Romans 14:1.............
"Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations."

The Theme of chapter 14 is CONVICTION AND CONSCIENCE!!!

This is the final division of the Epistle to the Romans. It is about SEPERATION of the Sons of God!

What do I mean by SEPERATION???? There are two areas of Christian conduct.

1.
The Bible is very clear as we just saw in chapter #13. The duty of the Christian to the state is one of submission. The Christian is to pay his taxes, obey the law of the land, and show respect to authority. He is also to love his neighbor, pay his bills, and he is not to be involved in adultery, murder, theft, lying or covetousness with another neighbor. The Christian is to be honest and avoid reveling, and strife along with jealousy and drunkenness. All of those are specific, easy to understand, clear!

2.
There are area where there is NO clear Biblical word on. Allow me to give just a few of these for you to think about.........
A. Tobacco use.
B. Alcohol consumption. Not drinking alcohol to get drunk, but the use of.
C. Mixed social swimming.
D. Dancing with another mans wife.
I am sure that right now, the hair on the back of some peoples neck is standing straight out. I am also sure that some of you will say....
are you kidding me preacher. How old are you????????

Now listen.....I am not condemning anything....only posting what has been argued about for a long time with in the church and there is NO definitive word in the Bible on these. These are what I will call.......QUESTIONABLE!

This is what Paul is about to address. He will put down principles for conduct to questionable activities. He will give THREE (3) guidlines...
1. CONVICTION.
2. CONSCIENCE.
3. CONSIDERATION.

CONVIVTION = Do you look forward to that which you are about to do with anticipation and excitement?
CONSCIENCE = Do you "look back" from that event wondering if it was right or wrong?
CONSIDERATION = Are other people adversely affected by what you have done?

Now then, in our modern day we live in, there are actually TWO extreme viewpoints about Christian matters on questionable matters.
These extremes have created an artificial attitude in which we think we should live.

1.
There is NO wall of separation from the world. These folks go and do what the world does.

2.
These folks have reduced the Christian life to a series of Negatives. "Touch not, feel not, see not, handle not".
They rejoice in salvation by grace and deliverance from the Law, but then immediately triple the 10 Commandments to satisfy their self delusions.

So then you now have a background for proper CONTEXT........lets dig in.

Verse 1 says in another way........"Now the one who is weak in the faith, receive him into your fellowship, but not with the view of passing judgment on his scruples, that is upon his conduct and his view point".

Paul has made it clear already that Christians have died to the law of Moses and have been released from our obligation to it.

That doesn't mean it's acceptable for Christians to participate in sin. In the last verses of Romans 13, Paul was very clear that we must cast off works of darkness like drunkenness, immorality, and jealousy.

When the Bible is clear—and on the truly important issues, Scripture is very clear—then there is no reasonable room for doubt or disagreement.

However, as I have stated, what about things that are not clearly sin?

Is it okay for Christians to eat meat? What about meat that has been offered to idols? What about observing Jewish holidays and Sabbaths? Is that right or wrong for Christians? In the modern context, this applies to issues which are also not clearly spelled out in Scripture, such as consuming alcohol, or watching movies, or listening to certain types of music.

Paul's answer to these questions is surprising.

First, he refers to those who think of certain foods or items as inherently sinful as being weak in faith. He does not mean that these people are not Christians. They have faith in Christ. Nor does he mean they are spiritually immature, in general. The "weakness" referred to is specifically in this one particular area, or for that question alone. Paul means these believers do not yet fully trust that God has set them free from observing the law or religious rule following. They struggle to accept that everything God created is good, and can be used for a good purpose.

Instead of condemning these people, though, Paul speaks abruptly to those of stronger faith in the grace of God. He commands them to welcome those with weaker faith into the full life and community of the church.

More, he tells them not to welcome them with an ulterior motive of convincing them they are wrong.

 

[Major]

Romans 14:2...........
"For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs."
The STRONG brother in the faith is the one eating all things. The WEAK brother is the one who eats vegetables.

The STRONG brother realizes that Jesus made all meats clean in Mark 7:19.........
" Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?"

After the flood, God gave all meats to be eaten. He did make a distinction between clean and unclean for the nation of Israel. The instructed believer knows that this distinction does not apply to him. 1 Corth. 8:8 says..........
"Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.".

Paul could eat meat without his CONSCIENCE bothering him.

Do you remember that Peter was proud that he was "separated" and had not eaten anything unclean?????? Peter had scruples about eating meat.

What is the principle here????

One can eat meat and the other can not. By the grace of God one is not to eat meat and the other is to eat meat.

Watch the next verse.....................

 

[Major]

Romans 14:3..............
"Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him."
BOOM! There it is!

Those of stronger faith felt free to eat anything at all, because they were convinced that Christ has freed them from all the requirements of the law and they were fully accepted by God's grace through faith in Christ.

Paul, though, does not condemn the religious vegetarians for their opinion. Instead, he forbids both groups from despising or passing judgment on each other. God has welcomed all who are in Christ, whether they live in the full freedom of God's grace or not. As such, both groups should welcome each other.

This statement is a crucial part of the context of chapter 14. It coordinates with Paul's other remarks on Christian liberty.

Those who feel free to partake in certain things should not look down on those who are not comfortable with that same activity.
At the same time, those who feel a personal conviction about something ought not judge those who do not share their conviction.

In short, both sides need to respect and tolerate each other as seen in Col. 2:16-23. One side is not to condemn the other side.

This could apply to anything else not specifically expressed in the Bible.

 

[crossnote]

Would you agree that the cause of the world’s problems is that man needs to be reconciled to God.

yes

Would you also agree that we will never love our neighbor as ourselves if we do not first love God with all our heart, mind, and soul.

In that case 'who (even Christians), keeps that commandment as they ought, as all fall short on that point alone. Only those reconciled to Christ are in a position to love others.

All of man’s best efforts toward world peace will fail as long as men are living in rebellion against God.

Agreed.

 

[Major]

Romans 14:4.........
"Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand."

Question........"Who do You think you are to judge another mans servant"?

What right Christian friend have you to sit in judgment on another Christian conduct when it involves something questionable?

Are YOU God?

Are YOU without sin?

Is that person accountable to YOU?

Can you imagine going to a dinner at someone home and then criticizing their cook for the meal? Maybe the biscuits were cold or the soup was cold or the roast was tough. It is not your place to say so!

 

[Major]

Romans 14:5..................
"One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind."

Be "Convinced" in your own mind!

In other words....be filled to the brim in your heart, will and total personality!

We as believers should do only those things in which we can give ourselves fully to.

When I go to an Alabama football game, I shout and yell and get excited!
When I play golf, I do it with enthusiasm.
When I preach the gospel, I do it with excitement and expectation!

A man was once asked to teach a Sunday School class. His answer was........If you can not get anyone else, then I will do it.
NO!. If you can not be enthusiastic about it....don't do it at all!

Over the years, especially the young people will ask me if doing this or that is wrong. I have told them...."Well, for you I think that it is wrong, but for me it is OK".

There answer then is......"WHAT do you mean"????

Well it is simple........If I have to ask a pastor if it is right or wrong, then it is wrong! If you have to question what you are thinking about doing then your CONSCIENCE is speaking to you about it. That however does not mean that it is wrong for me.

Many years ago, the wife of the pastor whom I replaced, taught a ladies class. She once made the comment to that class that she and her husband never went to a restaurant that served beer or wine. The lady then asked me what I thought.

My answer was......Is someone at those restaurants holding a gun to your head and forcing you to buy and drink beer?

No one forces you to consume an alcoholic drink. That is your choice and your choice should not be made according to what someone else has a problem with. Be fully convinced in your own mind about what to do!

Several years ago a woman asked me if it was acceptable to dance with men when she and her husband went out. I told her that in my opinion, NO!

Well she did anyway and when a man cut in on her dancing with her husband, she asked him....are you a Christian?
He said NO.....Are you? She said yes. He then asked her ........"Then why are you in this place dancing with me? PERCEPTION!

 

[Major]

Romans 14:6............
"The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God."

Maybe you play golf on Sunday. I don't but maybe you do. If you can take Jesus with you, if you can stop out on the 9th green and have a prayer meeting with those with you, that would be fine. However......what will the foursome behind you, waiting think when their game is interrupted by your actions?

When they see you, will one of them say to you.....What in the world are you doing" Why aren't YOU in church today on Sunday morning"????? PERCEPTION!

We are what we are when we DO what we say we are.........Not by what we SAY we are!

 

[Major]

Romans 14:7...............
"For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself."

This verse must be read and understood in the context of the verse that follows.
Christians are not meant to exist in a vacuum. In fact, we cannot wall ourselves off from the Lord or other believers. Whatever we do, we belong the Lord. That's what Paul will declare in the following verse.

In other words, we should not think that our decision about whether to participate in disputed issues is only about us. The Lord is always involved because we are His. That means that only God has the right to judge those issues, but it also means nobody has the right to make decisions on those topics without considering the will of God.


14:8.............................
"For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s."

The Context here for verse #7 means that Born-again, saved Christians no longer exist to serve our own agenda. We cannot claim the right to follow our own path to our own goals. Rather, Christ redeemed us, meaning that He paid for us. We have been bought with a price. Or, as Paul puts it here, we live to the Lord and, eventually, we die to the Lord. Whether living or dead, the Lord owns us.

The fact that we live to the Lord means that our choices must be made for His honor and in service of His agenda. In the context of Romans 14, that includes our choices about whether to eat meat or observe special days. More than that, it should include all the choices we make in this life.

Life is actually a set of on going choices.

We also die to the Lord. This likely means not only that we die in God's perfect timing, but also that we will continue to belong to the Lord after we die and enter eternity. We will ever and always belong to the Lord. Understanding that should impact how we view every choice we make.

Paul's teaching in this chapter strongly commands those who have tighter convictions on certain issues not to judge those who disagree. However, he is just as clear that the concept of "Christian liberty" is not a license to do whatever we want, however we want. Our choices and freedom should still be guided by submission to God.

 

[Major]

Romans 14:9..............
"For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living."

Whatever you live, you will have to live for Him. Whether you die, you will have to die to Him.

Our Christian conduct is not measured by the foods we put out on the table but instead, by our lives that are spread out before Him.

One day we are all going to have to give an account of all the things we have done in this life. (2 Corth. 5:10).

At that time, there will not be a question about the meat you had on the table but instead it will be about your relationship with Christ.

Christ's death and resurrection are given as grounds for Him to exercise lordship over both the dead and the living.

Those who recognize that God has given all things for a good purpose, should not look down on those with a more restricted conscience. Neither is master of the other: Christ is the Lord of all.

Now Paul uses poetic language to show this is why Christ died for our sins and was resurrected. In doing so, He became Lord of the living and those who have died and will exist forever. He has experienced both life and death and now holds ultimate authority over those who live and those who have died and entered eternity.

 

[Major]

Romans 14:10...........
"Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;".

Given that, Paul now asks, why would any Christian ever see it as their place to judge or despise their siblings in Christ?

This is in the specific context of issues where the Bible is not clear, such as eating meat or celebrating certain holy days. It's true that there will be a judgment, Paul insists, but we will not be the ones sitting in the judge's chair. Instead, we will be standing before the judge along with every other Christian in history.

This judgment seat is described in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. It comes during the end times. Christ will judge the works of all believers. He will not be deciding whether we go to heaven or hell. That was decided when we came to God through faith in Christ. Instead, as 2 Corth says...says, ...........
"We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil."

That is, Jesus will look at our choices in this life and reward good works while holding us accountable in some way— through a loss of rewards, perhaps—for our worthless actions.

In Romans 14:10, then, Paul is saying that the day of judgment is real and it is coming. Judging other Christians now is not our job.

 

[Major]

Romans 14:11 & 12...........
"for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then each of us will give an account of himself to God."

Why do you judge your brother"?

You remember that the Lord Jesus said that to the Pharisee who wanted to stone an adulterous woman in John 8:7.....
"He that is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her".

Not one of those men picked up a rock. WHY???? Jesus knew that they had shared a room at the Holliday Inn with her! They were as guilty as she was.

We all need to realize that we have to give an account of ourselves!

I know that you who are reading this are more pios and religious and closer to God than I am. So to be brutally honest..........
I am wondering how I am going to tell Jesus certain things about me. That is the reason I can not judge your actions.

 

[Major]

Romans 14:13..........
"Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother."

We see here that Paul is going to develop the thought that our conduct has to be for the sake of our weak brothers.

Also, we see that Paul begins by repeating that no Christian should be passing judgment on other Christians, especially over these disputable matters of opinion like eating meat and observing special days.

Now, if I am traveling in the same car with another person who believes that he should not travel on Sunday, I am going to have to stay with him, not because I agree with him, but for the sake of the weaker brother.

It will become clear that Paul is writing this new section to those he would describe as having stronger faith.

Paul has been talking about those who refuse certain meats to eat. Those people you see are not convinced that God in His grace has freed them from legalism and certain prohibitions on food. In other words, God was good enough and powerful enough to save them from their sin, but NOT good enough or powerful enough to free them from the legalism that has haunted the Jews for thousands of years. We still have those people with us today!

Paul did not condemn these "weak in faith" believers, however. Instead, he told the stronger Christians to fully accept those weak in faith and not to try to argue them out of their opinion.

Now Paul calls for a new action: deciding not to put anything in the way of other Christians, causing them to trip, spiritually. In the following verses, Paul will tell those who are stronger in faith—in the sense that they are exercising their freedom in Christ to eat meat or not observe special days—to be willing to abstain, if need be, for the sake of the others. This does not mean their actions are, in fact, sinful. However, it does mean they ought to consider the weakness of others when deciding when and if to partake.

Context is crucial in applying this passage. Too often, the term "stumbling block" is used as an accusation by those Paul has described as the "weak in faith." As other verses have made clear, believers cannot wield their own convictions like a club, browbeating others into conforming with their preferences .

 

[Major]

Romans 14:14..........
"I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean."
Right here, Paul makes his strongest statement so far about whether it's okay for a Christian to eat certain meats—or drink wine as he will mention in verse 21.

This thought applies even if that meat might not be kosher according to the law, or may have been offered to idols. Paul knows and is fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean to eat or drink for Christians.

From a "ground level" view, there are no unclean or forbidden foods. By extension, this supports Paul's earlier point that those things which the Bible does not explicitly forbid are acceptable for believers.

There is a powerful, and important second side to this idea, however.

Paul adds that if a Christian believes anything to be unclean, then it is unclean—for him or her.

Paul is talking about a person's conscience. If, because of upbringing or previous experiences, someone cannot bring themselves to believe they can participate in eating or drinking something, that thing is actually wrong for them to consume.

This is a new idea. Paul elevates the role of the human conscience for those who are in Christ. Even if the facts seem to show that it is okay to participate in something, and even if other mature Christians confirm that it's okay for Christians to do, but you just don't feel that it is right, then it is wrong for you.

It's important to realize this principle only applies to disputable issues.

These are the topics on which Scripture and the teaching of the apostles doesn't take a position. In other words, murder, adultery, and stealing are always wrong. That's a moral fact, regardless of what our consciences tell us. In the same way, kindness and prayer are always right, no matter what we feel. It's only in questionable areas—such as Paul's examples of food, drink, and holidays—where a Christian's conscience should have the last word about whether he or she will exercise freedom in Christ.

 

[Major]

Romans 14:15.........
"For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died."

Evidently, this idea of eating certain meat was a big deal in the early church. In every church there are different factions or clicks or groups.

So it appears that in the early church there was one group understood that in Christ they had been freed from following the law, so they freely enjoyed eating meat that may not have been kosher to eat under the law.

The second group could not yet allow themselves to step outside the restrictions of the law. They may even have agreed, in principle, that it was allowed; it just felt wrong to them for Christians to do such a thing. Paul wrote in the previous verse that if they felt that way, it would in truth be wrong for them to violate their conscience.

Now Paul turns to those who are enjoying their freedom in Christ at the spiritual expense of Christians who believe it to be wrong. Paul says, abruptly, that a believer can't flaunt his or her freedom while claiming to love their fellow Christian. More dramatically, he says we must not, for the sake of food, destroy someone for whom Christ died.

In other words, Christians with a faith strong enough to allow them to eat meat and participate in other disputed activities must not demand their freedoms at the expense of their siblings in Christ. Even if they believe—or know for sure —that the other person's conviction is wrong. In doing so, they may lead the one whose faith is weak to violate his conscience. Such a choice would be a sin.

This teaching may sound hard to us in a culture that values personal freedom so dearly. Paul has already made it abundantly clear in chapter 12 & 13 however, that the culture of the church is meant to be one in which Christians set themselves aside for the good of the Lord and of each other.

At the same time, the idea of a "stumbling block" is not meant to give more-legalistic Christians a leash to control the behavior of others. Paul's comments here are directed at the more-spiritually-assured person, but context makes it clear that they aren't meant to enable others to take on the role of judge.

 

[Major]

Romans 14:16.........
"So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil."

Since Christ was willing to die for that weak brother, certainly we ought to be willing to refrain from eating something or doing something that would hurt him in his Christian walk.

In other words.....liberty does not mean a license to sin!

We as Christians is to be able to USE our Christian liberty, not abuse it! We are always to keep in mind how our conduct will affect a weaker believer.

 

[Major]

Romans 14:17...........
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
This is the only reference in the book of Romans to the Kingdom of God.
I for one do not believe that the "kingdom of God" is synonymous with the kingdom of Heaven in Matthew's gospel. In Matthew, he finds the final fruition in the Millennial and Messianic kingdom here on the earth.

I believe that the kingdom of God embraces all that is in God's created universe, which of course includes the church. It is broader and larger and includes God's reign over His Creation.

"Righteousness" here means the same as it does in chapters 1 & 3 which has to do with being right with God.

Of course the question must be asked...............Why did you come to Christ in the first place? For the food and drink or for the real benefits of participating in the kingdom?

 

[Major]

Romans 14:18............
"Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men."

Now Paul writes that those who serve Christ with a focus on righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit are both acceptable to God and approved by other people. In other words, when those of strong faith insist on exercising their freedom in Christ at the risk of harming the faith of others, the result is that what is good ends up being spoken of as evil or being blasphemed. But when the focus on those of strong faith is on serving Christ in what matters, the result is approval by men and doing what is acceptable to God.

Christ is not served by eating and drinking. Instead it is by our service for Him that pertains to righteousness and peace, and Joy!